Background
Joseph Habersham was born on July 28, 1751, in Savannah, Georgia, United States, the second son of James Habersham, the most important business man in colonial Georgia, and of Mary (Bolton) Habersham.
Businessman military politician
Joseph Habersham was born on July 28, 1751, in Savannah, Georgia, United States, the second son of James Habersham, the most important business man in colonial Georgia, and of Mary (Bolton) Habersham.
In his ninth year Joseph Habersham was sent to New Jersey to be educated. In 1768, partly because his health was poor and partly because his father was dissatisfied with his education, he went to England, where for three years he was connected with a mercantile concern.
Upon his return to Georgia in 1771, Joseph Habersham was set up in business by his father, first with his brother James, and later, in 1773, with Joseph Clay, a kinsman and for many years a leading merchant of Savannah. The firm name was Joseph Clay & Company.
Young Habersham was a member of the first group that raised the standard of rebellion in Georgia. The occasion was a meeting held on Wednesday, July 27, 1774, at which a committee was set up to prepare resolutions similar to those adopted in other colonies condemning the coercive measures recently enacted by the British Parliament. Habersham was a member of that committee and thereafter he was always in the most advanced group of revolutionists. He was a member of the Council of Safety, and took a leading part in the first overt act of the war - the seizure of the royal powder magazine at Savannah - and in the capture of a vessel from London loaded with military stores. He was a member of the provincial congress which met in Savannah on July 4, 1775, was appointed major of the first battalion of troops raised for the protection of Georgia, and later became a colonel in the Continental Army.
After the Revolution, Habersham was twice speaker of the General Assembly of Georgia; in 1785-1786 he was a delegate to the Continental Congress; and in 1788 he was a member of the convention which ratified the Federal Constitution in Georgia. His last public service was as postmaster-general of the United States, a position to which he was appointed by President Washington in February 1795. He held the post during Washington’s second term and throughout the administration of John Adams. When Jefferson invited him to become treasurer of the United States he interpreted the tender as a request for his resignation as postmaster and surrendered his portfolio in November 1801.
Returning to Savannah, Habersham resumed his commercial career, which had been interrupted by the war, and in 1802 became president of the Branch Bank of the United States, a position which he was holding at the time of his death in 1815.
Joseph Habersham and his two brothers, growing to manhood while the revolutionary clouds were gathering, all ardently espoused the American cause, while their father remained loyal to the Crown. This family division was typical of Georgia. The older colonists generally resisted the revolutionary movement, but were unable to restrain their sons.
Habersham was a masonic member of Solomon's Lodge.
Habersham was a man of strong character and positive convictions. His conception of honor and patriotism was high; his temper was quick, but he was tolerant of the opinions of others.
In May 1776 Habersham married Isabella Rae, whose father was a planter residing near Savannah. Ten children were born to them.